Arrangement structure for biological sensors

ABSTRACT

An arrangement structure for a biological sensor includes a biological sensor of a non-contact type provided in a seat on which a human is seated. The biological sensor detecting biological information of the human with electromagnetic waves. The biological sensor is arranged at a position in the seat avoiding a member that constitutes the seat and interferes with passage of the electromagnetic waves.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to an arrangement structure for abiological sensor.

BACKGROUND ART

When the health condition of the driver who is driving a vehicledeteriorates, it may adversely affect the driving of the vehicle.Therefore, it is desirable to detect the deterioration of the healthcondition in advance so that some measures can be taken. As for suchmeasures, according to a known technique for grasping the healthcondition of the driver, biological information such as blood flow andblood pressure is estimated based on the measurement results of pulsewaves and the like by a non-contact type blood flow sensor provided tobe embedded in the surface to be seated and back of the seat (see PatentLiterature 1).

CITATION LIST Patent Literature

-   PTL 1: JP 2016-168177 A

SUMMARY OF INVENTION Technical Problem

Biological sensors of a non-contact type are known to emitelectromagnetic waves toward a living body and detect biologicalinformation based on the waves reflected by the living body. However,the electromagnetic waves emitted toward the living body are unlikely topass through various metals such as iron, copper, and aluminum. For thisreason, metal parts built in the seat may be interfere withelectromagnetic waves from the biological sensor provided in the seat,which makes it difficult to accurately detect biological information.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the aboveproblems, and an object of the present invention is to provide anarrangement structure for a biological sensor that makes it easy toaccurately detect biological information.

Solution to Problem

In order to solve the above problems, according to the invention ofclaim 1, there is provided an arrangement structure for a biologicalsensor including:

a biological sensor of a non-contact type provided in a seat on which ahuman is seated, the biological sensor detecting biological informationof the human with electromagnetic waves, and

the biological sensor is arranged at a position in the seat avoiding amember that constitutes the seat and interferes with passage of theelectromagnetic waves.

According to the invention of claim 2, in the arrangement structure fora biological sensor according to claim 1,

the seat is provided in a vehicle that travels through autonomousdriving or manual driving that are able to be switched to each other.

According to the invention of claim 3, in the arrangement structure fora biological sensor according to claim 1 or 2,

the biological sensor arranged at the position in the seat emitselectromagnetic waves whose emission center does not pass through themember.

According to the invention of claim 4, in the arrangement structure fora biological sensor according to claim 1 or 2,

the biological sensor arranged at the position in the seat emitselectromagnetic waves whose emission range does not include the member.

According to the invention of claim 5, in the arrangement structure fora biological sensor according to any one of claims 1 to 4,

the biological sensor is arranged at the position in the seat closer tothe human than the member is.

According to the invention of claim 6, the arrangement structure for abiological sensor according to claim 5 further includes:

a resin installation plate that is attached to the member and that isarranged at a position closer to the human than the member is, and

the biological sensor is arranged on the installation plate.

According to the invention of claim 7, in the arrangement structure fora biological sensor according to any one of claims 1 to 4,

the member has an opening, and

the biological sensor is arranged at the position farther from the humanthan the member is, the position corresponding to a position of theopening.

According to the invention of claim 8, in the arrangement structure fora biological sensor according to any one of claims 1 to 7,

the member is arranged so as not to be uniform in density inside theseat, and

the biological sensor is arranged at a portion where density of themember is low.

According to the invention of claim 9, in the arrangement structure fora biological sensor according to any one of claims 1 to 8,

the seat includes a cushion pad that is covered by a covering, and

when a detachable portion of the cushion pad is detached, a recess thataccommodates the biological sensor is formed inside the cushion pad.

According to the invention of claim 10, in the arrangement structure fora biological sensor according to any one of claims 1 to 8,

the seat includes a cushion pad that is covered by a covering, and

the cushion pad is formed with the biological sensor embedded in thecushion pad.

According to the invention of claim 11, in the arrangement structure fora biological sensor according to any one of claims 1 to 10,

the biological sensor includes two or more biological sensors that arearranged at at least two respective portions of the seat that areseparate from each other.

According to the invention of claim 12, in the arrangement structure fora biological sensor according to claim 1,

the biological sensor includes a first sensor and a second sensor thatemit electromagnetic waves of different frequencies toward the human,and

the first sensor and the second sensor are arranged adjacent to eachother.

According to the invention of claim 13, in the arrangement structure fora biological sensor according to claim 12,

the biological sensor includes two or more biological sensors that arearranged at at least two respective portions of the seat that areseparate from each other.

According to the invention of claim 14, in the arrangement structure fora biological sensor according to claim 12,

the seat includes a seat cushion and a seat back, the seat cushionsupporting a human buttock and a human thigh, and the seat back having alower edge that is supported by the seat cushion,

the biological sensor is provided in at least one of the seat cushionand the seat back, and

the first sensor and the second sensor are arranged adjacent to eachother in a surface direction of a surface to be seated of the seat.

According to the invention of claim 15, in the arrangement structure fora biological sensor according to claim 12,

the seat includes a seat cushion and a seat back, the seat cushionsupporting a human buttock and a human thigh, and the seat back having alower edge supported by the seat cushion,

the biological sensor is provided in at least one of the seat cushionand the seat back, and

the first sensor and the second sensor are arranged adjacent to eachother in a thickness direction of either the seat cushion or the seatback.

Advantageous Effects of Invention

According to the invention of claim 1, the biological sensor is arrangedat a position in the seat avoiding a member that constitutes the seatand interferes with passage of the electromagnetic waves. Therefore, themember interfering with the passage of electromagnetic waves are lesslikely to interfere with the emission of electromagnetic waves from thebiological sensor. This makes it easy to accurately detect biologicalinformation.

According to the invention of claim 2, because the seat is provided in avehicle that travels through autonomous driving or manual driving thatare able to be switched to each other, biological information of thedriver seated on the seat can be detected. As a result, for example,when the driver's health condition deteriorates, the deterioration canbe detected in advance, so that safety can be improved during autonomousdriving and during manual driving.

According to the invention of claim 3, the biological sensor arranged atthe position in the seat emits electromagnetic waves whose emissioncenter does not pass through the member interfering with the passage ofelectromagnetic waves. Therefore, the biological sensor can detectbiological information while being affected by the member interferingwith the passage of electromagnetic waves.

According to the invention of claim 4, the biological sensor arranged atthe position in the seat emits electromagnetic waves whose emissionrange does not include the member interfering with the passage ofelectromagnetic waves. Therefore, the biological sensor can detectbiological information without being affected by the member interferingwith the passage of electromagnetic waves.

According to the invention of claim 5, the biological sensor is arrangedat the position in the seat closer to the human than the member is.Therefore, the biological sensor is less likely to be affected by themember interfering with the passage of electromagnetic waves.

According to the invention of claim 6, a resin installation plate isattached to the member and is arranged at a position closer to the humanthan the member is, and the biological sensor is arranged on theinstallation plate. Therefore, even if the biological sensor is arrangedin the vicinity of the member interfering with the passage of theelectromagnetic waves, the biological sensor is not easily affected bythe member interfering with the passage of the electromagnetic waves.

According to the invention of claim 7, the biological sensor is arrangedat the position farther from the human than the member interfering withthe passage of the electromagnetic waves is, and the positioncorresponds to a position of the opening formed in the memberinterfering with the passage of the electromagnetic waves. Therefore,even though the biological sensor is arranged at a position farther fromthe human than the member interfering with the passage ofelectromagnetic waves is arranged in the seat, the biological sensor isnot easily affected by the member interfering with the passage of theelectromagnetic waves.

According to the invention of claim 8, the member interfering with thepassage of the electromagnetic waves is arranged so as not to be uniformin density inside the seat, and the biological sensor is arranged at aportion where density of the member interfering with the passage of theelectromagnetic waves is low. Therefore, compared with the case wherethe biological sensor is arranged at a portion where the density of themember interfering with the passage of electromagnetic waves is high,the biological sensor is not easily affected by the member interferingwith the passage of the electromagnetic waves.

According to the invention of claim 9, the seat includes a cushion padthat is covered by a covering, and a recess that accommodates thebiological sensor is formed inside the cushion pad when a detachableportion of the cushion pad is detached. Therefore, a space where thebiological sensor is arranged can be secured in the seat.

According to the invention of claim 10, a cushion pad is formed in theseat with the biological sensor embedded therein. Therefore,installation of the seat can be efficiently performed with thebiological sensor embedded in the cushion pad.

According to the invention of claim 11, the biological sensor includestwo or more biological sensors that are arranged at at least tworespective portions of the seat that are separate from each other.Therefore, human health condition can be calculated from the detectedbiological information with higher accuracy.

According to the invention of claim 12, among a first sensor and asecond sensor included in the biological sensor, one is used to detectbiological information including noise, and another is used for todetect noise. Therefore, only the biological information can beextracted by subtraction of the noise. Furthermore, because the firstsensor and the second sensor are arranged adjacent to each other, thereis little detection error between the first sensor and the secondsensor. Therefore, it is easy to accurately detect biologicalinformation.

According to the invention of claim 13, biological information can bedetected from at least two portions of the human body. Therefore, thehuman health condition can be calculated from the detected biologicalinformation with higher accuracy.

According to the invention of claim 14, because the biological sensor isprovided at at least one of the seat cushion and the seat back,biological information can be detected from at least one of the upperside and the lower side of the human body.

Furthermore, because the first sensor and the second sensor are arrangedadjacent to each other in the surface direction on the surface to beseated of the seat, the first sensor and the second sensor can bearranged adjacent to each other in the front-rear direction, up-downdirection, left-right direction, or oblique direction, in considerationof, for example, the internal structure of the seat cushion or the seatback, the sitting comfort of the seat, and the like.

According to the invention of claim 15, because the biological sensor isprovided at at least one of the seat cushion and the seat back,biological information can be detected from at least one of the upperside and the lower side of the human body.

Furthermore, because the first sensor and the second sensor are arrangedadjacent to each other in the thickness direction of at least one of theseat cushion and the seat back, the first sensor and the second sensorcan be arranged adjacent to each other even when it is difficult toarrange them adjacent to each other in the surface direction.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a seat with a built-in seat heater.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing of a seat cushion according to the firstembodiment.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing of a seat back according to the firstembodiment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a positional relationship between anelectromagnetic wave and a member that interferes with theelectromagnetic wave in the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing of a seat cushion according to the secondembodiment.

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing of a seat back according to the secondembodiment.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a positional relationship between anelectromagnetic wave and a member that interferes with theelectromagnetic wave in the second embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a seat in which spring members arebuilt in a seat cushion according to Modification 1.

FIG. 9 is a plan view showing spring members according to Modification1.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a seat cushion including springmembers built therein according to Modification 1.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a seat provided with a lumbarsupport device according to Modification 2.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing a seat in which spring members arebuilt in a seat cushion according to Modification 3.

FIG. 13 is a plan view showing spring members according to Modification3.

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of a seat cushion including springmembers built therein according to Modification 3.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing a seat provided with a lumbarsupport device according to Modification 4.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing the biological sensors accordingto Modification 5 forming a unit.

FIG. 17A is a diagram illustrating an arrangement example of a firstsensor, a second sensor, and a receiver according to Modification 6.

FIG. 17B is a diagram illustrating an arrangement example of a firstsensor, a second sensor, and a receiver according to Modification 6.

FIG. 17C is a diagram illustrating an arrangement example of a firstsensor, a second sensor, and a receiver according to Modification 6.

FIG. 17D is a diagram illustrating an arrangement example of a firstsensor, a second sensor, and a receiver according to Modification 6.

FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating an arrangement example of biologicalsensors in the seat provided with movable portions according toModification 7.

FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating a positional relationship between anoccupant and biological sensors when a seat provided with movableportions according to Modified 7 is in a reclined state.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described withreference to the drawings. Although a variety of limitations that aretechnically favorable for carrying out the present invention aredescribed in the following embodiments, the scope of the presentinvention is not limited to the following embodiments or illustratedexamples.

First Embodiment

In FIG. 1, the numeral 10 denotes a seat on which a human is seated.This seat 10 is provided in a vehicle such as an automobile. In thepresent embodiment, the seat 10 is particularly provided in a vehiclecapable of traveling through either one of autonomous driving and manualdriving. The autonomous driving and manual driving can be switched toeach other during the travel.

The seat 10 includes a seat cushion 11 supporting buttocks and thighs ofthe human, a seat back 14 having a lower edge supported by the seatcushion 11 and serves as a backrest, and a headrest 17 supporting thehuman head and provided on the seat back 14.

The main components of the seat cushion 11 include a seat cushion frameserving as a skeleton, a cushion pad 12 provided on the seat cushionframe, and a covering 13 covering the seat cushion frame and the cushionpad 12 (see FIG. 2). The seat cushion 11 of the present embodimentfurther includes a seat heater 20 provided between the cushion pad 12and the covering 13.

Grooves 12 a which are long in the left-right direction of the seat 10are formed on the upper surface of the cushion pad 12. Two grooves 12 aare formed on the upper surface of the cushion pad 12 and divide theupper surface of the cushion pad 12 into the front-rear direction. Thatis, the upper surface of the cushion pad 12 is divided into a frontpart, a center part, and a rear part.

The main components of the seat back 14 include a seat back frameserving as a skeleton, a cushion pad 15 provided on the seat back frame,and a covering 16 covering the seat back frame and the cushion pad 15(see FIG. 3).

The seat back 14 of the present embodiment further includes a seatheater 30 provided between the cushion pad 15 and the covering 16.

Grooves 15 a which are long in the left-right direction of the seat 10are formed on the front surface of the cushion pad 15. Two grooves 15 aare formed on the front surface of the cushion pad 15 and divide thefront surface of the cushion pad 15 into the up-down direction. That is,the upper surface of the cushion pad 15 is divided into an upper part, acenter part, and a lower part.

The seat heater 20 in the seat cushion 11 is a planar heating elementthat warms the seat cushion 11. As shown in FIG. 2, the main componentsof the seat heater 20 includes a planar base material 21 made of apolyester cloth material and the like, and a heater wire 22 (alsoreferred to as electrically-heated wire) made of metal bonded and fixedto the base material 21.

As shown in FIG. 2, the heater wire 22 bonded and fixed on the basemember 21 includes two heater wires 22 each meandering in parallel fromthe rear to the front of the seat cushion 11. The front portions of therespective heater wires 22 are connected to each other.

Although the heater wires 22 of the present embodiment meander inparallel in the front-rear direction and are fixed on the base material21, the arrangement of the heater wires 22 is not limited thereto andmay be changed as appropriate. Although the heater wires 22 are fixed onthe base material 21 with an adhesive, the heater wires 22 may be foldedinside the base material 21 to be fixed.

As shown in FIG. 2, each of the heater wires 22 includes a front heaterwire 22 a in a section of the front part on the upper surface of thecushion pad 12, a central heater wire 22 b in a section of the centerpart, a rear heater wire 22 c in a section of the rear part, and grooveheater wires 23 which are inserted into the respective grooves 12 a andconnect the front heater wire 22 a, the central heater wire 22 b, andthe rear heater wire 22 c.

The seat heater 30 in the seat back 14 similarly includes a basematerial 31 and a heater wire 32 as main components.

As shown in FIG. 3, each of the heater wires 32 includes an upper heaterwire 32 a in a section of the upper part on the front surface of thecushion pad 15, a central heater wire 32 b in a section of the centerpart, a lower heater wire 32 c in a section of the lower part, andgroove heater wires 33 which connect the upper heater wire 32 a, thecentral heater wire 32 b, and the lower heater wire 32 c and areinserted into the respective grooves 15 a.

As described above, because such a seat 10 is provided in a vehiclewhich can travel through either of autonomous driving and manual drivingwhich can be switched to each other, the form inappropriate for manualdriving and a form appropriate for manual driving can be changed to eachother.

During autonomous driving, since the driver is allowed to be in arelaxed condition, the seat 10 is also changed to a form inappropriatefor manual driving. For example, the seat 10 during autonomous drivingcan change its position so as to face the rear seat or so as to be in aflat condition.

Furthermore, although not shown in the drawings, such a vehicle includesa driving controller which switches between autonomous driving andmanual driving, the above-described seat 10 which can be changed into aplurality of forms, and a seat controller which controls the operationof the seat 10 when changing the form.

When the vehicle on a highway moves to an ordinary road, or when thevehicle is approaching a road having a complicated shape, the drivingcontroller controls the switch of autonomous driving to manual driving.If there is abnormality in the driver's health condition in such a case,forcible switching of autonomous driving to manual driving is notpreferable. On the other hand, if the driver's health condition hasbecome worse during manual driving, manual driving may be switched toautonomous driving. In such a case, the health condition needs to begrasped in advance.

Therefore, the seat 10 is provided with a biological sensor 1, 2 as ameans for grasping the health condition of a driver, as shown in FIGS. 2and 3. The biological sensor 1, 2 in the present embodiment measures theblood flow condition of a measurement target human, for example,measures the blood flow at positions facing the skin surface of themeasurement target region.

The biological sensor 1, 2 of the present embodiment is of a non-contacttype which detects human biological information using an electromagneticwave(s), and is connected to the driving controller so that datacommunication is possible.

The driving controller switches between autonomous driving and manualdriving based on the data related to biological information transmittedfrom the biological sensor 1, 2, and the seat controller changes theform of the seat 10 as appropriate.

The biological sensor 1, 2 in the present embodiment detects humanbiological information using electromagnetic waves as described above.

Here, electromagnetic waves mean electromagnetic waves in a broad senseincluding radiowaves of about 100 MHz, microwaves, infrared light,visible light, ultraviolet light, X-rays, and the like. Any suitableelectromagnetic waves may be used as long as it does not adverselyaffect the human body.

Such electromagnetic waves have a feature that they do not easily passthrough various metals such as iron, copper, and aluminum. Therefore, inthe present embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the biological sensor 1, 2 isarranged at a position in the seat 10 avoiding the member A1, A2(possibly) interfering with the passage of electromagnetic waves.

In the example shown in FIG. 4, the biological sensor 1 provided at theseat cushion 11 is arranged in the seat 10 at a position such that themember A1 does not overlap the emission range R of electromagnetic wavesemitted from the biological sensor 1.

That is, when the biological sensor 1 is provided in the seat 10, acondition for accurately detecting biological information is that theinterfering member A1 does not overlap the electromagnetic wave emissionrange R from the biological sensor 1.

In the example shown in FIG. 4, the biological sensor 2 provided at theseat back 14 is arranged in the seat 10 at a position such that anemission center C of the electromagnetic waves emitted from thebiological sensor 2 does not pass through the member A2.

That is, when the biological sensor 2 is provided in the seat 10, theinterfering member A2 may overlap the emission range R, as long as theemission center C of the electromagnetic waves emitted from thebiological sensor 2 does not pass through the interfering member A2.This is also a condition for easily detecting biological information.

In the example shown in FIG. 4, the biological sensor 1 is arranged at aposition closer to the human than the member A3 interfering with thepassage of electromagnetic waves is. That is, in the seat 10, thebiological sensors 1 and 2 are preferably arranged at positions closerto the human than the members (for example, the member A3) interferingwith the passage of electromagnetic waves are.

Biological information can be detected even when the interfering membersA1 and A2 are arranged closer to the human than the biological sensor 1,2 is, as described above. However, the biological sensor 1, 2 isdesirably arranged closer to the human than the interfering member A1,A2 is, because the interfering member A1, A2 is naturally less likely tointerfere with the electromagnetic waves. This is also the condition foraccurately detecting biological information.

The members A1, A2, and A3 interfering with the passage ofelectromagnetic waves are arranged at different relative positions withrespect to the biological sensors 1 and 2, but the members A1, A2, andA3 may be arranged at any of the relative positions because none of themcompletely interfere with the passage of electromagnetic waves. However,if more accurate detection of biological information is required, therelative position of the member A3 is the most preferable, and therelative position of the member A1 is also preferable. The relativeposition of the member A2 is not unacceptable.

FIG. 4 is an example of the seat 10 viewed from the lateral side. As asupplementary explanation, even if the members A1, A2, and A3 are eachin a relative position near the biological sensors 1 and 2 when viewedfrom the lateral side, they do not interfere with the passage ofelectromagnetic waves when arranged at different positions in thehorizontal direction (left-right direction). Such a relative position isalso preferred.

More specifically, the members A1, A2, and A3 interfering with thepassage of electromagnetic waves in the present embodiment are metalheater wires 22 and 32 of the seat heaters 20 and 30 respectively shownin FIGS. 2 and 3. The biological sensors 1 and 2 are arranged in theseat 10 at positions avoiding the heater wires 22 and 32, respectively.

The biological sensors 1 and 2 are arranged at at least two respectiveportions of the seat 10 which are separate from each other. Morespecifically, both of the seat cushion 11 and the seat back 14 includesthe biological sensors 1 and 2.

As shown in FIG. 2, the biological sensor 1 provided in the seat cushion11 is arranged at a portion corresponding to the middle portion of theleft and right sciatic bones of human buttocks so that sitting comfortis improved. In other words, the biological sensor 1 is arranged in themiddle of the position where the buttocks are mounted in the seatcushion 11.

In the present embodiment, the biological sensor 1 is arranged so as tocorrespond to the middle portion of the left and right sciatic bones,but is not limited thereto. For example, the biological sensor 1provided in the seat cushion 11 may be arranged corresponding to thepositions of femurs.

That is, reference numerals P1 and P2 in FIG. 2 are candidate portionsfor arranging the biological sensor 1, and the candidate portions P1 andP2 correspond to the positions of the femurs of the human seated on theseat 10.

The femurs in which popliteal arteries pass are suitable for measurementof blood flow conditions with the biological sensor 1.

As shown in FIG. 3, the biological sensor 2 provided in the seat back 14is arranged at a portion corresponding to the position of the humanheart. The chest where the heart is present and through which thoracicaorta passes is suitable for measurement of blood flow conditions withthe biological sensor 2.

In other words, the heater wires 32 of the seat heater 30 provided inthe seat back 14 are arranged avoiding the position of the human heartso that the measurement accuracy is improved with the biological sensor2 arranged at the human heart position. That is, the heater wires 32(22) interfering with the passage of electromagnetic waves are arrangedso as not to be uniform in density inside the seat 10, and thebiological sensor 2 is arranged at a portion where the density of theheater wires 32 (22) are low (sparse). The higher the density of theheater wires 32 (22) is, the higher temperature it becomes.

In the present embodiment, the biological sensor 2 is arranged at aportion corresponding to the heart position, but is not limited thereto.The biological sensor 2 may be at any position suitable for measurementof the blood flow condition.

The pulse wave velocity and the degree of arteriosclerosis can bedetermined using data relating to the blood flow condition(s) in thepopliteal artery and the thoracic aorta obtained by measurement with thebiological sensor 1, 2. Here, a calculation program incorporated inadvance in the above driving controller (or another external device suchas a computer) is used. Furthermore, on the basis of the pulse wavevelocity and the degree of arteriosclerosis, the driving controller cancalculate the blood pressure (arterial pressure) of the human who is themeasurement target human.

As described above, the seat 10 in the present embodiment is provided ina vehicle capable of travelling through either of autonomous driving andmanual driving which can be switched to each other. Therefore, in orderto improve safety, the biological sensor 1, 2 may be used in combinationwith a camera (not shown) that captures the human sitting on the seat10. When the biological sensor 1, 2 is used in combination with acamera, it can be determined whether or not the human who is seated butdoes not put his hand(s) on the steering wheel H is deteriorating inhuman health, as well as whether or not he is just asleep.

Furthermore, the biological sensor 1, 2 may be used in combination witha microphone which collects the voice of the human seated on the seat 10to confirm whether or not the human is conscious. That is, if the humanseated on the seat 10 is urged to speak but does not make a response, itis determined that the driver is unconscious.

According to the present embodiment as described above, the biologicalsensor 1, 2 is arranged in the seat 10 at a position avoiding the memberA1, A2, A3 interfering with the passage of electromagnetic waves amongthe members constituting the seat 10. Therefore, the member A1, A2, A3interfering with the passage of electromagnetic waves is less likely tointerfere with the emission of electromagnetic waves from the biologicalsensor 1, 2. This makes it easy to accurately detect biologicalinformation.

Furthermore, because the seat 10 is provided in a vehicle capable oftravelling through either of autonomous driving and manual driving whichcan be switched to each other, the biological information of the driverseated on the seat can be detected. As a result, for example, when thedriver's health condition deteriorates, the deterioration can bedetected in advance, so that safety can be improved during autonomousdriving and during manual driving.

Furthermore, because the biological sensor 2 is arranged in the seat 10at a position such that emission center C of the electromagnetic wavesemitted from the biological sensor 2 do not pass through the member A2interfering with the passage of electromagnetic waves, the biologicalsensor 2 can detect biological information while being affected by themember A2 interfering with the passage of electromagnetic waves.

Furthermore, because the biological sensor 1 is arranged in the seat 10at a position such that the member does not overlap the emission range Rof the electromagnetic waves emitted from the biological sensor 1, thebiological sensor 1 can detect biological information without beingaffected by the member A1, A3 interfering with the passage ofelectromagnetic waves.

Furthermore, because the biological sensor 1 is arranged in the seat 10at a position closer to the human than the member A3 interfering withthe passage of electromagnetic waves is, the biological sensor 1 is lesslikely to be affected by the member A3 interfering with the passage ofelectromagnetic waves.

Furthermore, when the biological sensors 1 and 2 are arranged at atleast two respective portions of the seat which are separate from eachother, biological information can be detected from at least two portionsof the human body. As a result, the human health condition can becalculated from the detected biological information with higheraccuracy.

Furthermore, when the seat cushion 11 and the seat back 14 respectivelyinclude the biological sensors 1 and 2, biological information can bedetected from the upper side and the lower side of the human body. As aresult, the human health condition can be calculated from the detectedbiological information with higher accuracy.

Furthermore, because the biological sensor 2 provided in the seat back14 is arranged corresponding to the human heart position, blood flowconditions can be grasped from the thoracic aorta. In such a case,biological information can be detected more easily than the case fromthin blood vessels with less blood flow.

Furthermore, because the biological sensor 1 provided in the seatcushion 11 is arranged at a portion corresponding to the middle portionof the left and right sciatic bones of the human buttocks, thebiological sensor 1 can be arranged so as not to knock the sciaticbones, such that the comfort when the human is seated on the seat is notimpaired.

Furthermore, because the biological sensor 1 provided in the seatcushion 11 is arranged at a portion corresponding to the position of thethighs, the blood flow condition of the popliteal arteries can begrasped. In such a case, biological information can be detected moreeasily than in the case of thin blood vessels with less blood flow.

Second Embodiment

The seat 10 (see FIG. 1) in the present embodiment is provided in avehicle such as an automobile. The vehicle may be one capable oftraveling only through manual driving, or through either one ofautonomous driving and manual driving which can be switched to eachother.

The seat 10 includes a seat cushion 11 which supports the human buttocksand thighs, a seat back 14 which has a lower edge supported by the seatcushion 11 and serves as a backrest, and a headrest 17 which supportsthe human head and provided on the seat back 14.

The main components of the seat cushion 11 include a seat cushion frameserving as a skeleton, a cushion pad 12 provided on the seat cushionframe, and a covering 13 covering the seat cushion frame and the cushionpad 12 (see FIG. 5). The seat cushion 11 of the present embodimentfurther includes a seat heater 20 provided between the cushion pad 12and the covering 13.

Grooves 12 a which are long in the left-right direction of the seat 10are formed on the upper surface of the cushion pad 12. Two grooves 12 aare formed on the upper surface of the cushion pad 12 and divide theupper surface of the cushion pad 12 into the front-rear direction. Thatis, the upper surface of the cushion pad 12 is divided into a frontpart, a center part, and a rear part.

The main components of the seat back 14 include a seat back frameserving as a skeleton, a cushion pad 15 provided on the seat back frame,and a covering 16 that covers the seat back frame and the cushion pad 15(see FIG. 6).

The seat back 14 of the present embodiment further includes a seatheater 30 provided between the cushion pad 15 and the covering 16.

Grooves 15 a which are long in the left-right direction of the seat 10are formed on the front surface of the cushion pad 15. Two grooves 15 aare formed on the front surface of the cushion pad 15 and divide thefront surface of the cushion pad 15 into the up-down direction. That is,the upper surface of the cushion pad 15 is divided into an upper part, acenter part, and a lower part.

The seat heater 20 in the seat cushion 11 is a planar heating elementthat warms the seat cushion 11. As shown in FIG. 5, the main componentsof the seat heater 20 includes a planar base material 21 made of apolyester cloth material and the like, and a heater wire 22 (alsoreferred to as electrically-heated wire) made of metal bonded and fixedto the base material 21.

As shown in FIG. 5, the heater wire 22 bonded and fixed on the basemember 21 includes two heater wires 22 each meandering in parallel fromthe rear to the front of the seat cushion 11. The front portions of therespective heater wires 22 are connected to each other.

Although the heater wires 22 of the present embodiment meander inparallel in the front-rear direction and are fixed on the base material21, the arrangement of the heater wires 22 is not limited thereto andmay be changed as appropriate. Although the heater wires 22 are fixed onthe base material 21 with an adhesive, the heater wires 22 may be foldedinside the base material 21 to be fixed.

As shown in FIG. 5, each of the heater wires 22 includes a front heaterwire 22 a in a section of the front part on the upper surface of thecushion pad 12, a central heater wire 22 b in a section of the centerpart, a rear heater wire 22 c in a section of the rear part, and grooveheater wires 23 which are inserted into the respective grooves 12 a andconnect the front heater wire 22 a, the central heater wire 22 b, andthe rear heater wire 22 c.

The seat heater 30 in the seat back 14 similarly includes a basematerial 31 and a heater wire 32 as main components.

As shown in FIG. 6, each of the heater wires 32 includes an upper heaterwire 32 a in a section of the upper part on the front surface of thecushion pad 15, a central heater wire 32 b in a section of the centerpart, a lower heater wire 32 c in a section of the lower part, andgroove heater wires 33 which are inserted into the respective grooves 15a and connect the upper heater wire 32 a, the central heater wire 32 b,and the lower heater wire 32 c.

If such a seat 10 is provided in a vehicle which can travel througheither one of autonomous driving and manual driving which can beswitched to each other, the driver is allowed to be in a relaxedcondition during autonomous driving, and the seat 10 is changed to aform inappropriate for manual driving. For example, the seat 10 duringautonomous driving can change its position so as to face the rear seator so as to be in a flat condition.

Furthermore, if the seat 10 is provided in a vehicle which can travelonly through manual driving, the seat 10 can be reclined when thevehicle stops.

Furthermore, although not shown in the drawings, a driving controller isincluded in the vehicle capable of traveling through either one ofautonomous driving and manual driving which can be switched to eachother. The driving controller switches between autonomous driving andmanual driving, the above-described seat 10 can be changed into aplurality of forms, and the seat controller controls the operation ofthe seat 10 when changing the form.

When the vehicle on a highway moves to an ordinary road, or when thevehicle is approaching a road having a complicated shape, the drivingcontroller controls the switch of autonomous driving to manual driving.If there is abnormality in the driver's health condition in such a case,forcible switching of autonomous driving to manual driving is notpreferable. On the other hand, if the driver's health condition hasbecome worse during manual driving, manual driving may be switched toautonomous driving. In such a case, the health condition needs to begrasped in advance.

When the vehicle is capable of traveling through manual driving only,the seat controller may also control the movement of the seat 10automatically when the vehicle stops. The health condition may begrasped when the vehicle stops.

For convenience of explanation, the vehicle in the following is capableof traveling through either one of autonomous driving and manual drivingwhich can be switched to each other, but the present invention is notlimited thereto. The vehicle may be capable of traveling only throughmanual driving.

The seat 10 is provided with a biological sensor(s) 100, 200 as a meansfor grasping the health condition of a driver, as shown in FIGS. 5 and6. The biological sensor 100, 200 in the present embodiment is used formeasuring the blood flow condition of a measurement target human, forexample, and can measure the blood flow at positions facing the skinsurface of the measurement target region.

The biological sensor 100, 200 of the present embodiment is of anon-contact type for detecting human biological information usingelectromagnetic waves, and is connected to the driving controller sothat data communication is possible.

The driving controller switches between autonomous driving and manualdriving based on the data related to biological information transmittedfrom the biological sensor 100, 200, and the seat controller changes theform of the seat 10 as appropriate.

The biological sensor 100, 200 of the present embodiment is of anon-contact type for detecting human biological information usingelectromagnetic waves, and is connected to the driving controller sothat data communication is possible.

The driving controller switches between autonomous driving and manualdriving based on the data related to biological information transmittedfrom the biological sensor 100, 200, and the seat controller changes theform of the seat 10 as appropriate.

The biological sensor 100, 200 in the present embodiment detects humanbiological information using electromagnetic waves as described above.

More specifically, the biological sensor 100, 200 in the presentembodiment includes a first sensor 100 and a second sensor 200 whichemit electromagnetic waves of different frequencies toward the human.The first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200 basically have a functionof detecting minute vibrations of the body surface due to pulsationbased on reflection of electromagnetic waves emitted to the human body.The first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200 are also called Dopplersensors because they use the frequency shifts of the reflected wave dueto the Doppler Effect depending on the speed of an object. Since such aDoppler sensor also detects slight body movements during breathing etc.,body movements other than pulse wave may be detected as noise component(s). However, such noise can be removed by using the first sensor 100and the second sensor 200, and only the pulse wave can be extracted.

The first sensor 100 is a biological sensor which emits electromagneticwaves of a frequency to reach the blood. A biological sensor which emitselectromagnetic waves capable of reaching the blood makes use of achange in reflectance of the electromagnetic waves depending on theamount of hemoglobin in the blood. Hemoglobin transports oxygenthroughout the body. Oxygen deficiency in the tissue (cells) causessymptoms such as rapid blood flow for quick transport of oxygen(palpitations) and rapid breathing for uptake of a large amount ofoxygen into the body (shortness of breath). The first sensor 100 candetect such body conditions (blood flow condition: pulse wave).

The first sensor 100 detects minute vibrations of the body surface whenthe amount of hemoglobin is detected. That is, the waveform of detectiondata obtained by the first sensor 100 represents both a pulse wave andnoise.

The frequency of the electromagnetic wave reaching the blood is, forexample, 270 MHz, but is not particularly limited as long as it canreach the blood to detect the amount of hemoglobin.

Further, the first sensor 100 is integrated with a receiver thatreceives reflected waves of the electromagnetic waves emitted by thefirst sensor 100. That is, the first sensor 100 has both an emissionfunction for emitting electromagnetic waves and a reception function forreceiving electromagnetic waves.

The receiver is connected to a calculation unit (not shown) (included inthe driving controller in the present embodiment) so that datacommunication is possible. The data regarding the detected pulse waveand noise is sent to and stored in the calculation unit.

The second sensor 200 is a biological sensor which emits electromagneticwaves having a frequency for detecting minute vibrations of the bodysurface. The second sensor 200 can detect only minute vibrations of thebody surface, that is, noise. That is, the waveform of detection dataobtained by the second sensor 200 represents noise only.

The frequency of the electromagnetic waves for detecting minutevibrations of the body surface is, for example, 10 GHz, but is notparticularly limited as long as it can detect the minute vibrations ofthe body surface.

Furthermore, the second sensor 200 is integrated with a receiver thatreceives reflected waves of the electromagnetic waves emitted by thesecond sensor 200. That is, the second sensor 200 has both an emissionfunction for emitting electromagnetic waves and a reception function forreceiving electromagnetic waves.

The receiver is connected to a calculation unit (not shown, included inthe driving controller in the present embodiment) so that datacommunication is possible. The data regarding the detected noise is sentto and stored in the calculation unit.

The first sensor 100 detects the pulse wave and noise, and the secondsensor 200 detects the noise. Therefore, only the pulse wave can beextracted by subtraction of the noise.

If the first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200 are arranged at alarge interval, their noise may not correspond to each other (an erroroccurs). Therefore, the first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200 arearranged adjacent to each other. That is, the first sensor 100 and thesecond sensor 200 are arranged as close as possible to each other orarranged so as to contact each other.

The biological sensor 100, 200 in the present embodiment detects humanbiological information using electromagnetic waves as described above.

Such electromagnetic waves have a feature that they do not easily passthrough various metals such as iron, copper, and aluminum. Therefore, inthe present embodiment shown in FIG. 7, the biological sensors 100, 200are arranged at positions avoiding the members A1 to A3 (possibly)interfering with the passage of electromagnetic waves with respect tothe seat 10.

In the example shown in FIG. 7, the first sensor 100 and the secondsensor 200 provided in the seat cushion 11 are arranged at respectivepositions in the seat 10 such that the member A1 does not overlap theelectromagnetic wave emission range R from the first sensor 100 or thesecond sensor 200.

That is, when the first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200 areprovided in the seat 10, the interfering member A1 does not overlap theelectromagnetic wave emission ranges R from the first sensor 100 and thesecond sensor 200, which is also the condition for accurately detectingbiological information.

In the example shown in FIG. 7, the first sensor 100 and the secondsensor 200 provided in the seat back 14 are arranged in the seat 10 atrespective positions such that the emission center C of theelectromagnetic waves emitted from the first sensor 100 or the secondsensor 200 does not pass through the member A2.

That is, when the first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200 areprovided in the seat 10, the interfering member A2 may overlap theemission ranges R as long as the emission centers C of the first sensor100 and the second sensor 200 do not pass through the interfering memberA2. This is also a condition for easily detecting biologicalinformation.

In the example shown in FIG. 7, the first sensor 100 and the secondsensor 200 are arranged at respective positions closer to the human thanthe member A3 interfering with the passage of electromagnetic waves is.That is, in the seat 10, the first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200are preferably arranged at positions closer to the human than the member(for example, the member A3) interfering with the passage ofelectromagnetic waves is.

Biological information can be detected even when the interfering membersA1 and A2 are arranged closer to the human than the first sensors 100and the second sensors 200 are, as described above. However, the firstsensors 100 and the second sensors 200 are desirably arranged closer tothe human than the interfering members A1 and A2 are, because theinterfering members A1 and A2 are naturally less likely to interferewith the electromagnetic waves. This is also the condition foraccurately detecting biological information.

The members A1, A2, and A3 interfering with the passage ofelectromagnetic waves have different relative positions with respect tothe first sensors 100 and the second sensors 200, but the members A1,A2, and A3 may be at any of the relative positions because none of themcompletely interfere with the passage of electromagnetic waves. However,if more accurate detection of biological information is required, therelative position of the member A3 is the most preferable, and therelative position of the member A1 is also preferable. The relativeposition of the member A2 is not unacceptable.

FIG. 7 is an example of the seat 10 viewed from the lateral side. As asupplementary explanation, even if the members A1, A2, and A3 are eachin a relative position near the biological sensor 100, 200 when viewedfrom the lateral side, they do not interfere with the passage ofelectromagnetic waves when arranged at different positions in thehorizontal direction (left-right direction). Such a relative position isalso preferred.

Furthermore, the first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200 are arrangedadjacent to each other as described above, which is also the conditionfor accurately detecting biological information.

Therefore, the first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200 are arrangedadjacent to each other in the surface direction on the surface to beseated of the seat 10. In the present embodiment, the first sensor 100and the second sensor 200 have an electromagnetic waves emission surfacearranged in parallel or substantially parallel to the surface to beseated of the seat 10.

In the case of the seat cushion 11 in FIG. 5, the surface to be seatedof the seat 10 refers to a surface in contact with human buttocks andthighs. In the case of the seat back 14 in FIG. 6, the surface to beseated of the seat 10 refers to a surface in contact with the human back(chest side, lumbar side). In the case of the seat cushion 11, the firstsensor 100 and the second sensor 200 are arranged adjacent to each otherin the front-rear direction, the left-right direction, or the obliquedirection. In the case of the seat back 14, the first sensor 100 and thesecond sensor 200 are arranged adjacent to each other in the up-downdirection, the left-right direction, or the oblique direction.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 7, the first sensor 100 and the secondsensor 200 may be arranged adjacent to each other in the thicknessdirection of at least one of the seat cushion 11 and the seat back 14.In this case, the first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200 may bearranged so as to partially overlap each other.

As described above, when the first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200are arranged adjacent to each other in the thickness direction of atleast one of the seat cushion 11 and the seat back 14, the first sensor100 which emits electromagnetic waves of a frequency to reach the bloodis preferably arranged on the side of the surface to be seated (frontside), and the second sensor 200 which emits electromagnetic waveshaving a frequency for detecting minute vibrations of the body surfaceis preferably arranged on the side away from the surface to be seated(rear side), so that the emission distances of electromagnetic waves areequivalent.

The arrangement of the first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200 is nowdescribed more specifically. the members A1, A2, and A3 interfering withthe passage of electromagnetic waves in the present embodiment are metalheater wires 22 and 32 of the seat heaters 20 and 30 respectively shownin FIGS. 5 and 6. The first sensor 100 and the second sensor 2 arearranged in the seat 10 at positions avoiding the heater wires 22 and32.

The first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200 are arranged at each ofat least two portions of the seat 10 which are separate from each other.More specifically, the first sensor 100 and second sensor 200 areprovided in each of the seat cushion 11 and the seat back 14.

As described above, when the first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200are arranged at each of at least two portions of the seat 10 which areseparate from each other, the distances from the position of the heartof the human seated on the seat 10 (the position where the heart isestimated to be present) to each of the at least two portions providedwith the biological sensor 100, 200 can be calculated. As a result,pulse waves can be preferably detected.

It is necessary for calculation of the blood pressure of a measurementtarget human to consider the length of the artery. However, since thereare individual differences in the human body, pulse waves are detectedwith the seat 10 as a reference as described above.

Furthermore, in order that the length of the artery is easilydiscriminated and the accuracy of pulse wave detection is improved, theat least two portions provided with the biological sensor 100, 200 maybe limited to be in the seat cushion 11 only or in the seat back 14only. When the biological sensor 100, 200 is arranged at at least twoportions of the seat cushion 11, it is preferably arranged along eitherthe left or right thigh. When the biological sensor 100, 200 is arrangedat at least two respective portions of the seat back 14, it may bearranged in either the left side or right side of the spine or arrangedalong the spine, with the position (center) of the spine avoided.

As shown in FIG. 5, the first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200 inthe seat cushion 11 are provided along the center of the surface to beseated of the seat cushion 11 so that sitting comfort can be improved.That is, they are arranged at portions corresponding to the middleportion (gluteal cleft) of the left and right sciatic bones of humanbuttocks. In other words, the first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200are arranged at the middle of the respective positions where thebuttocks are mounted in the seat cushion 11 in the seat 10.

In the present embodiment, the first sensor 100 and the second sensor200 are arranged corresponding to the middle portion of the left andright sciatic bones, but is not limited thereto. For example, asindicated by two-dot chain lines in FIG. 5, the first sensor 100 and thesecond sensor 200 provided in the seat cushion 11 may be arrangedcorresponding to the positions of human femurs.

That is, reference numerals P1 and P2 in FIG. 5 are candidate portionsfor arranging the first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200. Thecandidate portion P1 corresponds to the position of the femur of thehuman seated on the seat 10, and the candidate portion P2 corresponds tothe position of the left sciatic bone of the human buttocks.

The femur in which popliteal arteries pass is suitable for measurementof blood flow conditions with the biological sensor 100, 200.

As shown in FIG. 6, the first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200provided in the seat back 14 are arranged along the center of thesurface to be seated of the seat 10, corresponding to the human heartposition. The chest where the heart is present and through whichthoracic aorta passes is suitable for measurement of blood flowconditions with the first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200.

In other words, the heater wires 32 of the seat heater 30 provided inthe seat back 14 are arranged avoiding the position of the human heartso that the measurement accuracy is improved with the first sensor 100and the second sensor 200 each arranged at the human heart position.That is, the heater wires 32 (22) interfering with the passage ofelectromagnetic waves are arranged so as not to be uniform in densityinside the seat 10, and the first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200are arranged at portions where the density of the heater wires 32 (22)are low (sparse). The higher the density of the heater wires 32 (22) is,the higher temperature it becomes. However, if the first sensor 100 andthe second sensor 200 are arranged closer to the surface to be seatedthan the heater wire 32 (22) is, a problem is unlikely to occur in thedetection of biological information.

In the present embodiment, the first sensor 100 and the second sensor200 are arranged at portions each corresponding to the position of theheart, but are not limited thereto. The first sensor 100 and the secondsensor 200 may be at any position suitable for measurement of the bloodflow condition. For example, as indicated by two-dot chain lines in FIG.6, the first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200 may be arranged atportions each corresponding to the center position of the human lumbarregion or at portions corresponding to either left or right of the humanlumbar region.

That is, reference numerals P3 and P4 in FIG. 6 are candidate portionsfor arranging the first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200. Thecandidate portion P3 corresponds to the center position of a lumbarregion of the human seated on the seat 10, and the candidate portion P4corresponds to the left position of the lumbar region of the human.

As described above, Doppler sensors such as the first sensor 100 and thesecond sensor 200 also detect slight body movements. Therefore, thefirst sensor 100 and the second sensor 200 are each arranged at aportion corresponding to the body portion with little movement in thehuman seated on the seat 10, such as buttocks, thighs, or lumbar region.If it is determined that the position of the heart is preferable even ifthere are many body movements, the first sensor 100 and the secondsensor 200 are arranged corresponding to the position of the heart. Inaddition, although the thigh is a region with little body movement, thethigh in the leg that operates the accelerator or the brake may move alot. Therefore, the first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200 arepreferably arranged corresponding to the thigh in the leg which does notoperate the accelerator or the brake.

Furthermore, at the position of the groove 12 a in the cushion pad 12 ofthe seat cushion 11 and the position of the groove 15 a in the cushionpad 15 of the seat back 14, there is provided a metal wire for formingsuspending portions of the coverings 13 and 16 (see the suspendingportions 49 in FIG. 14). The first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200are arranged avoiding positions of the grooves 12 a and 15 a (that is,the suspending portions).

The pulse wave velocity and the degree of arteriosclerosis can bedetermined using data relating to the blood flow condition(s) in thepopliteal artery and the thoracic aorta obtained by measurement with thefirst sensor 100 and the second sensor 200. Here, a calculation programincorporated in advance in the above driving controller (or anotherexternal device such as a computer) is used. Furthermore, on the basisof the pulse wave velocity and the degree of arteriosclerosis, thedriving controller can calculate the blood pressure (arterial pressure)of the human who is the measurement target human. That is, the drivingcontroller functions as the calculation unit described above.

As described above, the seat 10 in the present embodiment is provided ina vehicle capable of travelling through either one of autonomous drivingand manual driving which can be switched to each other. Therefore, inorder to improve safety, the first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200may be used in combination with a camera (not shown) that captures thehuman sitting on the seat 10. When the first sensor 100 and the secondsensor 200 are used in combination with a camera, it can be determinedwhether or not the human who is seated but does not put his hand(s) onthe steering wheel H is deteriorating in his health, as well as whetheror not he is just asleep.

Furthermore, the first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200 may be usedin combination with a microphone which collects the voice of the humanseated on the seat 10 to confirm whether or not the human is conscious.That is, if the human seated on the seat 10 is urged to speak but doesnot make a response, it is determined that the driver is unconscious.

According to the present embodiment as described above, one of the firstsensor 100 and the second sensor 200 may be used for detection ofbiological information including noise, and the other is used fordetection of noise. Therefore, only the biological information can beextracted by subtraction of the noise. Furthermore, because the firstsensor 100 and the second sensor 200 are arranged adjacent to eachother, there is little detection error between the first sensor 100 andthe second sensor 200. Accordingly, it is easy to accurately detectbiological information.

Furthermore, because biological information can be detected from atleast two portions in the human body, human health condition can becalculated from the detected biological information with higheraccuracy.

Furthermore, because at least one of the seat cushion 11 and the seatback 14 includes the biological sensor, biological information can bedetected from at least one of the upper side and the lower side of thehuman body.

Furthermore, because the first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200 arearranged adjacent to each other in the surface direction on the surfaceto be seated of the seat 10, the first sensor 100 and the second sensor200 can be arranged adjacent to each other in the front-rear direction,up-down direction, left-right direction, or oblique direction, inconsideration of, for example, the internal structure of the seatcushion 11 or the seat back 14, the sitting comfort of the seat 10, andthe like.

Furthermore, because the first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200 arearranged adjacent to each other in the thickness direction of at leastone of the seat cushion 11 and the seat back 14, the first sensor 100and the second sensor 200 can be arranged adjacent to each other evenwhen it is difficult to arrange them adjacent to each other in thesurface direction.

Furthermore, because the first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200 arearranged so as to partially overlap each other, the first sensor 100 andthe second sensor 200 can be arranged adjacent to each other so as notto interfere with each other in detection of biological information.

Furthermore, if the biological sensor 100, 200 is provided along thecenter of the surface to be seated of the seat 10, the biological sensor100, 200 is arranged along the gluteal cleft or spine. Therefore, thesitting comfort of the seat 10 would not be impaired.

If the biological sensor 100, 200 is provided on one side of the surfaceto be seated of the seat 10, the biological sensor 100, 200 is arrangedavoiding the positions of the gluteal cleft and the spine. As a result,the distance between the human body and the biological sensor 100, 200becomes short, so that biological information can be easily detected.

[Modifications]

The embodiments to which the present invention can be applied are notlimited to the above-described embodiment, and the scope of the presentinvention can be suitably changed without leaving the scope of theinvention. The modifications are described below. The modificationsdescribed below can be combined if possible.

[Modification 1]

The seat 40 in this modification includes a built-in seat frame 41 asshown in FIG. 8. The seat frame 41 includes a cushion frame 42constituting a seat cushion and a seat back frame 43 constituting a seatback.

The cushion frame 42 and the seat back frame 43 are each provided with acushion pad 42 a and further covered with a covering 42 b to constitutethe seat 40.

The cushion frame 42 has a frame shape in a plan view and includes apair of side frames 44, a pan frame 45, and a connecting pipe 46. Thepaired side frames 44 each extend long in the front-rear direction andare spaced separately in the left-right direction. The pan frame 45 iscomposed of a metal plate connecting the front edges of the paired sideframes 44. The connection pipe 46 is formed of a metal pipe whichconnects the rear edges of the paired side frames 44.

A seat spring 47 is installed between the pan frame 45 and theconnecting pipe 46.

The seat spring 47 includes four spring members 47A to 47D which extendlong in the front-rear direction and are arranged in the left-rightdirection, and resin connection members 48A to 48D which connect thespring members 47A to 47D.

Each of the spring members 47A to 47D is a bending metal wire. The rearends of the spring members 47A to 47D are respectively formed into hooks47Aa to 47Da to be hooked to the connecting pipe 46. The spring members47A to 47D respectively extend forward from the hooks 47Aa to 47Da eachbending to the left and right directions to form zigzags. As shown inFIG. 8, the spring members 47A to 47D have respective front edges eachconnected to the pan frame 45 so as not to be displaced.

The biological sensor 1 is provided in the cushion frame 42. In thepresent modification, the spring members 47A to 47D are the membersinterfering with the passage of electromagnetic waves, and thebiological sensor 1 is arranged at a position avoiding the springmembers 47A to 47D.

More specifically, the connecting members 48A to 48D are provided withbiological sensor(s) 1 as shown in FIG. 9. The position(s) of thebiological sensor(s) 1 correspond to the middle portion of the left andright sciatic bones of human buttocks or correspond to the position ofthe thigh. When the biological sensor(s) are provided at the portion(s)corresponding to the position of the thigh, the portion(s) maycorrespond to either one thigh or both thighs.

The connecting members 48A to 48D are arranged at positions closer tothe human than the spring members 47A to 47D are. Since the biologicalsensor(s) 1 are provided on such connecting members 48A to 48D, themeasurement results by the biological sensor(s) 1 are less affected bythe spring members 47A to 47D.

The connecting members 48A to 48D are provided so as to connect thespring members 47A to 47D. However, as well as another connecting member48E in FIG. 9, the zigzag portions of each of the spring members 47A to47D each bending to form zigzags may be connected to each other. Theanother connecting member 48E has a portion that connects the adjacentspring members 47A and 47B and a portion that connects the zigzagportions of the spring member 47A, and is formed in a substantially Lshape in a plan view. The biological sensor(s) 1 can be also arranged onsuch connecting member 48E.

In other words, the above-described connecting members 48A to 48E areinstallation plates each having a plate-shaped portion on whose uppersurface the biological sensor(s) 1 are installed. That is, thebiological sensor(s) 1 are arranged on the connecting members 48A to 48Eas described above in the present modification, but are not limitedthereto. A plate-like member which is located under the cushion pad 42 aand on whose upper surface the biological sensor(s) 1 are installed(that is, an installation plate placed differently from the connectingmembers 48A to 48E) may be used.

As the biological sensor 1 may be disposed on each of the connectingmembers 48A to 48E, the cushion pad 42 a of the seat 40 has a recess 420which can accommodate the biological sensor 1 and which is formed at theportion located above the portion where the biological sensor 1 isinstalled. As shown in FIG. 10, the recess 420 is formed by recessingthe lower surface of the cushion pad 42 a.

Furthermore, because the spring members 47A to 47D have respective frontedges each connected to the pan frame 45 so as not to be displaced asdescribed above, the biological sensors 1 installed at the respectiveconnecting members 48A to 48D can also be prevented from beingdisplaced.

Furthermore, the biological sensor 1 may also be arranged on the panframe 45. Since the pan frame 45 is a member made of metal plate asdescribed above and interferes with the passage of electromagneticwaves, the biological sensor 1 is preferably arranged on the upper sideof the pan frame 45. That is, the biological sensor 1 is arranged at aposition closer to the human than a member (pan frame 45) interferingwith the passage of electromagnetic waves is.

When arranged on the upper surface of the pan frame 45, the biologicalsensor 1 may be arranged either at a flat portion near the center or atan inclined portion near the periphery of the pan frame 45.

However, the biological sensor 1 may be arranged at a position fartherfrom the human than the pan frame 4 is arranged, if it is arranged at aportion corresponding to an opening 45 a formed in the pan frame 45 asshown in FIG. 8. By arranging the biological sensor 1 in this way,electromagnetic waves can be emitted toward the human through theopening 45 a.

Furthermore, instead of the pan frame 45, the front edges of the pairedside frames 44 may be connected to each other using a frame material ora pipe material (not shown). In this case, the front edges of therespective spring members 47A to 47D may be connected to the framematerial or pipe material. The biological sensor 1 may be arranged witha clip or the like (not shown) on the frame material or the pipematerial provided instead of the pan frame 45 as described above.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 10, the biological sensor(s) 1 may beprovided so as to be embedded in the cushion pad 42 a of the cushionframe 42. If the biological sensor 1 is provided so as to be embedded inthe cushion pad 42 a, the cushion pad 42 a itself may be formed byso-called insert molding while the biological sensor 1 is embeddedtherein. If the biological sensor 1 is provided so as to be embedded inthe cushion pad 42 a, a recess (not shown) for accommodating thebiological sensor 1 may be formed in the cushion pad 42 a so that thebiological sensor 1 can be easily installed.

The method for providing the biological sensor 1 so as to be embedded inthe cushion pad 42 a is not limited to the insert molding as describedabove. The biological sensor 1 is preferably embedded even after thecushion pad 42 a has been molded. That is, a part of the cushion pad 42a (detachable portion 422 in FIG. 10) may be detachably formed, suchthat a recess 421 for accommodating the biological sensor 1 is formed ata position corresponding to the detachable portion 422.

If the biological sensor 1 is provided so as to be embedded in thecushion pad 42 a, the detachable portion 422 is detached, the biologicalsensor 1 is accommodated in the recess 421, and the detachable portion422 is returned to be fitted again. In this way, the biological sensor 1can be embedded in the cushion pad 42 a.

In the present modification, the detachable portion 422 can be detachedfrom the lower surface side of the cushion pad 42 a, but may be detachedfrom the upper surface side.

There may be formed a space in the cushion pad 42 a for wiring a harness(not shown) for electrically connecting the biological sensor 1 and anexternal device (for example, a power generation element, a storage, acontrol device, and the like), not only for embedding the biologicalsensor 1.

As shown in FIG. 8, the seat back frame 43 is provided with a pair ofside frames 43 a, an upper frame 43 b, and a lower member 43 c. Thepaired side frames 43 a each extend long in the up-down direction andare spaced separately in the left-right direction. The upper frame 43 bis provided between the upper edges of the paired side frames 43 a. Thelower member 43 c is a plate like member provided between the loweredges of the paired side frames 43 a. A seat spring 43 d composed ofmultiple spring members is provided so as to link the paired side frames43 a between the upper frame 43 d and the lower member 43 c.

The multiple spring members of the seat spring 43 d extend in theleft-right direction and each bend up and down to form zigzags.

The biological sensor 2 can be also provided on the above-described seatback frame 43, as well as on the above-described cushion frame 42.

That is, the biological sensor 2 may be provided on either one or bothof the paired side frames 43 a. In that case, the biological sensor 2may be attached to either the inner surface or the outer surface of theside frames 43 a.

The biological sensor 2 may be provided on the front surface of thelower member 43 c. When the biological sensor 2 is arranged on the rearsurface side of the metal lower member 43 c, the biological sensor 2 isarranged so as to correspond to the position of an opening (not shown)formed in the lower member 43 c.

Furthermore, the biological sensor 2 may be provided on the seat spring43 d. In that case, as well as in the case on the above-describedcushion frame 42, the biological sensor 2 may be arranged on theconnection members (not shown) connecting the respective spring membersof the seat spring 43 d. Alternatively, if the spring members are notuniform in density, the biological sensor 2 may be arranged at a portionwhere the density of the spring members is low.

The biological sensor 2 may be embedded in a cushion pad (not shown)provided on the front surface side of the seat back frame 43, in thesame way as the side of the above-described cushion frame 42.

According to the present modification, the biological sensor 1 isarranged in the seat 40 at a position avoiding the member(s) 47A to 47Dinterfering with the passage of electromagnetic waves among the membersconstituting the seat 40. Therefore, the member(s) 47A to 47Dinterfering with the passage of electromagnetic waves is less likely tointerfere with the emission of electromagnetic waves from the biologicalsensor 1. This makes it easy to accurately detect biologicalinformation.

Furthermore, because the biological sensor 1 provided in the cushionframe 42 is arranged at a portion corresponding to the middle portion ofthe left and right sciatic bones of the human buttocks, the biologicalsensor 1 can be arranged so as not to knock the sciatic bones, such thatthe comfort when the human is seated on the seat is not impaired.Furthermore, because the biological sensor 1 provided in the cushionframe 42 is arranged at a portion corresponding to the position of thethighs, the blood flow condition of the popliteal arteries can begrasped. In such a case, biological information can be detected moreeasily than in the case of thin blood vessels with less blood flow.

Furthermore, a resin installation plate (connecting member(s) 48A to48E) attached to the member(s) 47A to 47D and 43 d interfering with thepassage of electromagnetic waves are arranged at respective positionscloser to the human than the member(s) 47A to 47D and 43 d is. Thebiological sensor 1 (2) is arranged on the installation plate.Therefore, even if the biological sensor 1 (2) is arranged in thevicinity of the members 47A to 47D and 43 d interfering with the passageof the electromagnetic waves, the biological sensor 1 (2) is not easilyaffected by the member (s) 47A to 47D and 43 d interfering with thepassage of the electromagnetic waves.

Furthermore, in the seat 40, the biological sensor 1, 2 is arranged at aposition corresponding to the position of an opening 45 a and fartherfrom the human than the member (pan frame 45, lower member 43 c)interfering with the passage of electromagnetic wave. The opening 45 ais formed in the member 45, 43 c interfering with the passage ofelectromagnetic waves. Therefore, even though the biological sensor 1, 2is arranged at a position farther from the human than the member 45, 43c interfering with the passage of electromagnetic waves are arranged inthe seat 40, the biological sensor 1, 2 is not easily affected by themember 45, 43 c interfering with the passage of the electromagneticwaves.

In addition, the member(s) 47A to 47D and 43 d interfering with thepassage of electromagnetic waves are arranged inside the seat 40 so asnot to be uniform in density, and the biological sensor 1, 2 is arrangedat a portion where the density of the member(s) 47A to 47B interferingwith the passage of electromagnetic waves is low. Therefore, comparedwith the case where the biological sensor 1, 2 is arranged at a portionwhere the density of the member(s) 47A to 47B interfering with thepassage of electromagnetic waves is high, the biological sensor 1, 2 isnot easily affected by the member(s) 47A to 47D and 43 d interferingwith the passage of the electromagnetic waves.

Furthermore, the cushion pad 42 a in the seat 40 has a part (detachableportion 422) which is configured to be detachable, and includes a recess421 which accommodates the biological sensor 1 at a positioncorresponding to the portion 422. Therefore, a space where thebiological sensor 1 is arranged can be secured in the seat 40.

Furthermore, because the cushion pad 42 a in the seat 40 is formed withthe biological sensor 1 embedded therein, installation of the seat 40can be efficiently performed with the biological sensor 1 embedded inthe cushion pad 42 a.

[Modification 2]

The seat 50 in this modification includes a built-in seat frame 51 asshown in FIG. 11. The seat frame 51 includes a cushion frame 52constituting a seat cushion and a seat back frame 43 constituting a seatback.

The cushion frame 52 and the seat back frame 53 are each provided with acushion pad and further covered with a covering to constitute the seat50.

The seat back frame 53 supports a lumbar support device LS which is apressure receiving member. The seat back frame 53 includes a pair ofmetal plate frames 54 and a pipe frame 55. The paired metal plate frames54 are arranged separately in the left-right direction. The pipe frame55 is connected to the upper edges of the respective paired metal plateframes 54 and formed of a pipe material bending into a U-shape.

The seat back frame 53 includes a lower frame 56 and a bridging frame57. The lower frame 56 functions as a connecting member which connectsthe lower portions of the metal plate frames 54 and as a support part.The bridging frame 57 functions as a bridging member which connects theleft and right of the pipe frame 55.

The lower frame 56 is a member composed of a metal plate whose upperedge and the lower edge extend slightly forward in a cross-sectionalview. The left and right edges of the lower frame 56 are welded to befixed to the portions extending inside in the left-right direction ofthe metal plate frames 54.

The lumbar support device LS is attached to the seat back frame 53,receives pressure from the occupant leaning against the seat back andsends it to the seat back frame 53, and changes the shape of portionscontacting the lumbar region of the occupant. As a result, supportingcondition of the lumbar region can be changed according to thepreference of the occupant.

The lumbar support device LS includes a pressure receiving plate 60, asupport member 61, a lower latching portion 62, and a wire(s) 63. Thepressure receiving plate 60 is made of resin and receives load from theback of the occupant through a cushion member (not shown). The supportmember 61 supports the pressure receiving plate 60 and changes the shapeof the pressure receiving plate 60. The lower latch 62 fixes the lowerportion of the support member 61 (lumbar support device LS) to the lowerframe 56. The wire(s) 63 fix the upper edge of the support member 61 tothe bridging frame 57.

The biological sensor 2 is provided in the lumbar support device LS. Inthe present modification, metal parts constituting the support member 61is the member interfering with the passage of electromagnetic waves, andthe biological sensor 2 is arranged at a position avoiding the metalparts constituting the support member 61.

More specifically, the biological sensor 2 is provided on the surface ofthe resin pressure receiving plate 60 or at a portion other than themetal parts constituting the support member 61, corresponding to theposition of the human heart.

According to the present embodiment as described above, the biologicalsensor 2 is arranged in the seat 50 at a position avoiding the member 61interfering with the passage of electromagnetic waves among the membersconstituting the seat 50. Therefore, the member 61 interfering with thepassage of electromagnetic waves is less likely to interfere with theemission of electromagnetic waves from the biological sensor 2. Thismakes it easy to accurately detect biological information.

Furthermore, because the biological sensor 2 provided in the lumbarsupport device LS on the side of the seat back frame 53 is arrangedcorresponding to the human heart position, blood flow conditions can begrasped from the thoracic aorta. In such a case, biological informationcan be detected more easily than the case from thin blood vessels withless blood flow.

[Modification 3]

The seat 40 in this modification includes a built-in seat frame 41 asshown in FIG. 12. The seat frame 41 includes a cushion frame 42constituting a seat cushion and a seat back frame 43 constituting a seatback.

The cushion frame 42 and the seat back frame 43 are each provided with acushion pad 42 a and further covered with a covering 42 b to constitutethe seat 40.

The cushion frame 42 has a frame shape in a plan view and includes apair of side frames 44, a pan frame 45, and a connecting pipe 46. Thepaired side frames 44 each extend long in the front-rear direction andare spaced separately in the left-right direction. The pan frame 45 iscomposed of a metal plate connecting the front edges of the paired sideframes 44. The connection pipe 46 is formed of a metal pipe whichconnects the rear edges of the paired side frames 44.

A seat spring 47 is installed between the pan frame 45 and theconnecting pipe 46.

First, the cushion frame 42 will be explained.

The seat spring 47 in the cushion frame 42 includes four spring members47A to 47D which extend long in the front-rear direction and arearranged in the left-right direction.

Each of the spring members 47A to 47D is a bending metal wire. The rearends of the spring members 47A to 47D are respectively formed into hooks47Aa to 47Da to be hooked to the connecting pipe 46. The spring members47A to 47D respectively extend forward from the hooks 47Aa to 47Da, eachbending to the left and right directions to form zigzags. As shown inFIG. 12, the spring members 47A to 47D have respective front edges eachconnected to the pan frame 45 so as not to be displaced.

The cushion frame 42 is provided with the first sensor 100 and thesecond sensor 200, which are biological sensors. In the presentmodification, the spring members 47A to 47D are the members interferingwith the passage of electromagnetic waves, and the first sensor 100 andthe second sensor 200 are arranged at positions avoiding the springmembers 47A to 47D.

More specifically, the first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200 areprovided, as shown in FIG. 12, on the resin connecting members 48A and48B connecting the spring materials 47C and 47D. That is, the firstsensor 100 is provided on the connecting member 48A, and the secondsensor 200 is provided on the connecting member 48B.

The positions of the first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200correspond to the middle portion of the left and right sciatic bones ofhuman buttocks or correspond to the position of the thigh. When thebiological sensor(s) are provided at the portion(s) corresponding to theposition of the thigh, the portion(s) may correspond to either one thighor both thighs.

The first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200 are arranged at positionscloser to the human than the connecting members 48A to 48D and thespring members 47A to 47D are. Since the first sensor 100 and the secondsensor 200 are provided on such connecting members 48A to 48D, themeasurement by the first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200 is lessaffected by the spring members 47A to 47D.

In FIG. 12, the connecting member 48A connects distant portions in thezigzag portions of the adjacent spring members 47C and 47D (47A and47B). The first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200 provided on theconnection member 48A can be arranged so as to overlap the springmembers 47C or 47D (47A or 47B).

In FIG. 12, the connecting member 48B connects nearby portions in thezigzag portions of the adjacent spring members 47C and 47D (47A and47B). The first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200 provided on theconnection member 48B may be arranged so as to overlap the springmembers 47C or 47D (47A or 47B).

In the example shown in FIG. 12, the above connecting members 48A and48B are provided so as to connect the adjacent spring members 47C and47D. However, as shown in FIG. 13, the connecting members 48A and 48Bmay be provided so as to appropriately connect the respective springmembers 47A to 47D. As well as another connecting member 48C in FIG. 13,the zigzag portions of each of the spring members 47A to 47D eachbending to form zigzags may be connected to each other. The first sensor100 and the second sensor 200 can be also arranged on such connectingmember 48C.

In other words, the above-described connecting members 48A to 48C areinstallation plates each having a plate-shaped portion on whose uppersurface the first sensor 100 or the second sensor 200 is installed. Thatis, the first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200 are arranged on theconnecting members 48A to 48C in the present modification as describedabove, but are not limited thereto. The installation plates to be usedmay be a plate-like member located under the cushion pad 42 a and havingan upper surface on which the first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200are installed (that is, installation plates having forms different fromthose as the connecting members 48A to 48C).

As the first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200 may be disposed oneach of the connecting members 48A to 48C, the cushion pad 42 a of theseat 40 has a recess 420 which can accommodate the first sensor 100 andthe second sensor 200. The recess 420 is formed at a portion locatedabove the portion where the first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200is installed. As shown in FIG. 14, the recess 420 is formed by recessingthe lower surface of the cushion pad 42 a.

Furthermore, because the spring members 47A to 47D have respective frontedges each connected to the pan frame 45 so as not to be displaced asdescribed above, the first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200installed at the respective connecting members 48A to 48D can also beprevented from being displaced.

Furthermore, the first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200 may also bearranged on the pan frame 45. Since the pan frame 45 is a member made ofmetal plate as described above and interferes with the passage ofelectromagnetic waves, the first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200are preferably arranged on the upper side of the pan frame 45. That is,the first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200 are arranged at positionscloser to the human than a member (pan frame 45) interfering with thepassage of electromagnetic waves is.

When arranged on the upper surface of the pan frame 45, the first sensor100 and the second sensor 200 may be arranged either at a flat portionnear the center or at an inclined portion near the periphery of the panframe 45.

However, the first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200 may be arrangedat positions farther from the human than the pan frame 4 is arranged, ifthey are arranged at portions corresponding to an opening 45 a formed inthe pan frame 45 as shown in FIG. 12. By arranging the first sensor 100and the second sensor 200 in this way, electromagnetic waves can beemitted toward the human through the opening 45 a.

Furthermore, instead of the pan frame 45, the front edges of the pairedside frames 44 may be connected to each other using a frame material ora pipe material (not shown). In this case, the front edges of therespective spring members 47A to 47D may be connected to the framematerial or pipe material. The first sensor 100 and the second sensor200 may be arranged with a clip or the like (not shown) on the framematerial or the pipe material provided instead of the pan frame 45 asdescribed above.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 14, the first sensor 100 and the secondsensor 200 may be provided so as to be embedded in the cushion pad 42 aof the cushion frame 42. If the first sensor 100 and the second sensor200 are provided so as to be embedded in the cushion pad 42 a, thecushion pad 42 a itself may be formed by so-called insert molding wherethe first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200 are formed in an embeddedstate. If the first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200 are provided soas to be embedded in the cushion pad 42 a, a recess (not shown) foraccommodating the first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200 may beformed in the cushion pad 42 a so that the first sensor 100 and thesecond sensor 200 can be easily installed.

The method for providing the first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200embedded in the cushion pad 42 a is not limited to the insert moldingdescribed above. The first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200 arepreferably embedded even after the cushion pad 42 a has been molded.That is, a part of the cushion pad 42 a (detachable portion 422 in FIG.14) may be formed to be detachable, and a recess 421 for accommodatingthe first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200 may be formed at aposition corresponding to the detachable portion 422.

If the first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200 are provided so as tobe embedded in the cushion pad 42 a, the detachable portion 422 isdetached, the first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200 areaccommodated in the recess 421, and the detachable portion 422 isreturned to be fitted again. In this way, the first sensor 100 and thesecond sensor 200 can be embedded in the cushion pad 42 a.

In the present modification, the detachable portion 422 can be detachedfrom the lower surface side of the cushion pad 42 a, but may be detachedfrom the upper surface side.

There may be formed a space in the cushion pad 42 a for wiring a harness(not shown) not only for embedding the first sensor 100 and the secondsensor 200, but for electrically connecting the first sensor 100 and thesecond sensor 200 and an external device (for example, a powergeneration element, a storage, a control device, and the like).

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 14, a seating sensor 3 may be provided inthe cushion pad 42 a to detect that the human is seated on the seat 10.The biological sensor 100, 200 is linked to the seating sensor 3, andare set to operate when the seating sensor 3 detects that the human isseated on the seat 10.

As shown in FIG. 13, the first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200 maybe arranged in reverse order. That is, while each of the two connectingmembers 48A connecting the spring members 47A and 47B is provided withthe first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200 as shown in FIG. 13, thefirst sensor 100 and the second sensor 200 provided on one connectingmember 48A and the first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200 providedon the other connecting member 48A are arranged in reverse order. Evenin such a case, biological information can be detected.

Next, the seat back frame 43 will be explained.

As shown in FIG. 12, the seat back frame 43 is provided with a pair ofside frames 43 a, an upper frame 43 b, and a lower member 43 c. Thepaired side frames 43 a each extend long in the up-down direction andare spaced separately in the left-right direction. The upper frame 43 bis provided between the upper edges of the paired side frames 43 a. Thelower member 43 c is a plate like member provided between the loweredges of the paired side frames 43 a. A seat spring 43 d composed ofmultiple spring members is provided so as to link the paired side frames43 a between the upper frame 43 d and the lower member 43 c.

The multiple spring members of the seat spring 43 d each extend in theleft-right direction and bend up and down to form zigzags.

The first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200 can be also provided onthe above-described seat back frame 43, as well as on theabove-described cushion frame 42.

That is, the first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200 may be providedon either one or both of the paired side frames 43 a. In that case, thefirst sensor 100 and the second sensor 200 may be attached to either theinner surface or the outer surface of the side frames 43 a.

The first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200 may be provided on thefront surface of the lower member 43 c. When the first sensor 100 andthe second sensor 200 are arranged on the rear surface side of the metallower member 43 c, the first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200 arearranged so as to correspond to the position of an opening (not shown)formed in the lower member 43 c.

Furthermore, the first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200 may beprovided on the seat spring 43 d. In that case, as shown in FIG. 12, thefirst sensor 100 is provided on the connection member 48D configuredsimilarly to the connection member 48B and connecting the springmembers. The second sensor 200 is provided on the connection member 48Econfigured similarly to the connection member 48A and connecting thespring members. If the spring members is not uniform in density, thefirst sensor 100 and the second sensor 200 may be arranged at portionswhere the density of the spring members is low.

The first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200 may be embedded in acushion pad (not shown) provided on the front surface side of the seatback frame 43, in the same way as the side of the above-describedcushion frame 42.

According to the present embodiment, one of the first sensor 100 and thesecond sensor 200 may be used for detection of biological informationincluding noise, and the other is used for detection of noise.Therefore, only the biological information can be extracted bysubtraction of the noise. Furthermore, because the first sensor 100 andthe second sensor 200 are arranged adjacent to each other, there islittle detection error between the first sensor 100 and the secondsensor 200. Accordingly, it is easy to accurately detect biologicalinformation.

Furthermore, according to the present modification, the first sensor 100and the second sensor 200 are arranged in the seat 40 at positionsavoiding the member(s) 47A to 47D interfering with the passage ofelectromagnetic waves among the members constituting the seat 40.Therefore, the member(s) 47A to 47D interfering with the passage ofelectromagnetic waves are less likely to interfere with the emission ofelectromagnetic waves from the first sensor 100 and the second sensor200. This makes it easy to accurately detect biological information.

Furthermore, because the first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200provided in the cushion frame 42 are arranged at portions correspondingto the middle portion of the left and right sciatic bones of the humanbuttocks, the first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200 can be arrangedso as not to knock the sciatic bones, such that the comfort when thehuman is seated on the seat is not impaired. Furthermore, because thefirst sensor 100 and the second sensor 200 provided in the cushion frame42 is arranged at a portion corresponding to the position of the thighs,the blood flow condition of the popliteal arteries can be grasped. Insuch a case, biological information can be detected more easily than inthe case of thin blood vessels with less blood flow.

Furthermore, the resin installation plate (connecting members 48A to48E) attached to the member(s) 47A to 47D and 43 d interfering with thepassage of electromagnetic waves are arranged at respective positionscloser to the human than the member(s) 47A to 47D and 43 d are. Thefirst sensor 100 and the second sensor 200 are arranged on theinstallation plates. Therefore, even if the first sensor 100 and thesecond sensor 200 are arranged in the vicinity of the member(s) 47A to47D and 43 d interfering with the passage of the electromagnetic waves,the first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200 are not easily affectedby the member (s) 47A to 47D and 43 d interfering with the passage ofthe electromagnetic waves.

Furthermore, in the seat 40, the first sensor 100 and the second sensor200 are arranged at positions corresponding to the position of anopening 45 a and being farther from the human than the member (pan frame45, lower member 43 c) interfering with the passage of electromagneticwaves is. The opening 45 a is formed in the member 45, 43 c interferingwith the passage of electromagnetic waves. Therefore, even if the firstsensor 100 and the second sensor 200 are arranged at positions fartherfrom the human than the member 45, 43 c interfering with the passage ofelectromagnetic waves are arranged in the seat 40, the first sensor 100and the second sensor 200 are not easily affected by the member 45, 43 cinterfering with the passage of electromagnetic waves.

In addition, the member(s) 47A to 47D and 43 d interfering with thepassage of electromagnetic waves are arranged inside the seat 40 so asnot to be uniform in density, and the first sensor 100 and the secondsensor 200 are arranged at portions where the density of the member(s)47A to 47B interfering with the passage of electromagnetic waves is low.Therefore, compared with the case where the first sensor 100 and thesecond sensor 200 are arranged at portions where the density of themember(s) 47A to 47B interfering with the passage of electromagneticwaves is high, the first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200 are noteasily affected by the member(s) 47A to 47D and 43 d interfering withthe passage of electromagnetic waves.

Furthermore, the cushion pad 42 a in the seat 40 has a part (detachableportion 422) which is configured to be detachable, and includes a recess421 which accommodates the first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200 atpositions corresponding to the portion 422. Therefore, a space forarranging the first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200 can be securedin the seat 40.

Furthermore, because the cushion pad 42 a in the seat 40 is formed withthe first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200 embedded therein,installation of the seat 40 can be efficiently performed with the firstsensor 100 and the second sensor 200 embedded in the cushion pad 42 a.

[Modification 4]

The seat 50 in this modification includes a built-in seat frame 51 asshown in FIG. 15. The seat frame 51 includes a cushion frame 52constituting a seat cushion and a seat back frame 43 constituting a seatback.

The cushion frame 52 and the seat back frame 53 are each provided with acushion pad and further covered with a covering to constitute the seat50.

The seat back frame 53 supports a lumbar support device LS which is apressure receiving member. The seat back frame 53 includes a pair ofmetal plate frames 54 and a pipe frame 55. The paired metal plate frames54 are arranged separately in the left-right direction. The pipe frame55 is connected to the upper edges of the respective paired metal plateframes 54 and formed of a pipe material bending into a U-shape.

The seat back frame 53 includes a lower frame 56 and a bridging frame57. The lower frame 56 functions as a connecting member which connectsthe lower portions of the metal plate frames 54 and as a support part.The bridging frame 57 functions as a bridging member which connects theleft and right of the pipe frame 55.

The lower frame 56 is a member composed of a metal plate whose upperedge and the lower edge extend slightly forward in a cross-sectionalview. The left and right edges of the lower frame 56 are welded to befixed to the portions extending inside in the left-right direction ofthe metal plate frames 54.

The lumbar support device LS is attached to the seat back frame 53,receives pressure from the occupant leaning against the seat back andsends it to the seat back frame 53, and changes the shape of portionscontacting the lumbar region of the occupant. As a result, supportingcondition of the lumbar region can be changed according to thepreference of the occupant.

The lumbar support device LS includes a pressure receiving plate 60, asupport member 61, a lower latching portion 62, and a wire(s) 63. Thepressure receiving plate 60 is made of resin and receives load from theback of the occupant through a cushion member (not shown). The supportmember 61 supports the pressure receiving plate 60 and changes the shapeof the pressure receiving plate 60. The lower latch 62 fixes the lowerportion of the support member 61 (lumbar support device LS) to the lowerframe 56. The wire(s) 63 fix the upper edge of the support member 61 tothe bridging frame 57.

The first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200 are provided in thelumbar support device LS. In the present modification, metal partsconstituting the support member 61 is the member interfering with thepassage of electromagnetic waves, and the first sensor 100 and thesecond sensor 200 are arranged at positions avoiding the metal partsconstituting the support member 61.

More specifically, a mounting portion 64 for mounting the first sensor100 and the second sensor 200 is integrally formed in the resin pressurereceiving plate 60 of the lumbar support device LS. In other words, thefirst sensor 100 and the second sensor 200 form a unit including thepressure receiving plate 60 in the lumbar support device LS.

The mounting portion 64 includes a first recess where the first sensor100 can be fitted to be mounted, and a second recess where the secondsensor 200 can be fitted to be mounted. In use, the first sensor 100 isfitted and mounted to the first recess, and the second sensor 200 isfitted and mounted to the second recess.

The mounting positions of the first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200may be reversed if the first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200 havethe same shape, and the first recess and the second recess are alsoformed in the same shape.

According to the present modification, the first sensor 100 and thesecond sensor 200 in the seat 50 are arranged at positions avoiding themember 61 interfering with the passage of electromagnetic waves amongthe members constituting the seat 50. Therefore, the member 61interfering with the passage of electromagnetic waves is less likely tointerfere with the emission of electromagnetic waves from the firstsensor 100 and the second sensor 200. This makes it easy to accuratelydetect biological information.

Furthermore, since the biological sensor 100, 200 forms a unit such thatthe first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200 are arranged adjacent toeach other, the first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200 can be easilyhandled to be attached to the seat 50.

[Modification 5]

The biological sensor 100, 200 in this modification forms a unit suchthat the first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200 are arrangedadjacent to each other as shown in FIG. 16.

That is, in the present modification, a housing 70 where the firstsensor 100 and the second sensor 200 are mounted is used. The housing 70includes a first recess 71 where the first sensor 100 can be fitted tobe mounted, and a second recess 72 where the second sensor 200 can befitted to be mounted.

In use, the first sensor 100 is fitted and mounted to the first recess71, and the second sensor 200 is fitted and mounted to the second recess72.

The mounting positions of the first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200may be reversed if the first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200 havethe same shape, and the first recess 71 and the second recess 72 arealso formed in the same shape.

When the first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200 forming a unit withthe housing 70 are arranged on the seat, the housing 70 itself isattached to an appropriate position of the seat, so that the firstsensor 100 and the second sensor 200 can be arranged.

According to the present modification, since the biological sensor 100,200 is a unit with the housing 70 where the first sensor 100 and thesecond sensor 200 are arranged adjacent to each other, the first sensor100 and the second sensor 200 can be easily handled to be attached tothe seat 50.

[Modification 6]

In the above-described embodiment, the biological sensor is integratedwith a receiver that receives electromagnetic waves emitted from each ofthe first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200. However, in the presentmodification, the biological sensor 100, 200 has a receiver 3 as aseparate piece.

The receiver 3 as a separate piece is provided along with the firstsensor 100 and the second sensor 200 as shown in FIGS. 17A to 17D. Theremay be provided one receiver 3 which receives the reflectedelectromagnetic waves emitted by the first sensor 100 and the secondsensor 200, or multiple receivers 3 each corresponding to the firstsensor 100 or the second sensor 200.

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the first sensor 100 andthe second sensor 200 are arranged so as to be parallel or substantiallyparallel to the surface to be seated of the seat 10. However, in thepresent modification, the first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200 maybe arranged inclined (at some angle) with respect to the surface to beseated of the seat 80. That is, the first sensor 100 and the secondsensor 200 may be arranged in parallel or substantially parallel to thesurface to be seated of the seat 80, or non-parallel to the surface tobe seated of the seat 80.

The seat 80 of the present modification includes a seat cushion 81 and aseat back 84.

In FIGS. 17A to 17D, the first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200 arearranged adjacent to each other in the left-right direction. Thereceivers 3 are provided below the first sensor 100 and the secondsensor 200. The arrangement directions of the receivers 3 with respectto the first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200 are not particularlylimited. The receivers 3 are provided on the lower side of the firstsensor 100 and the second sensor 200 in the example shown in FIGS. 17Ato 17D, but may be provided on the upper side or may be provided on thelateral side.

In FIGS. 17A to 17D, the bidirectional arrow Y represents the spread(surface direction) of the surface to be seated in a lateral view of theseat 80.

As well as the first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200, the receiver3 may be arranged in parallel or substantially parallel to the surfaceto be seated of the seat 80, or non-parallel to the surface to be seatedof the seat 80.

In the example shown in FIG. 17A, the first sensor 100 and the secondsensor 200 are each arranged so as to be parallel to the surface to beseated of the seat 80, and the receiver 3 is arranged so as to benon-parallel to the surface to be seated of the seat 80.

In the example shown in FIG. 17B, the first sensor 100 and the secondsensor 200 are each arranged so as to be non-parallel to the surface tobe seated of the seat 80, and the receiver 3 is arranged so as to benon-parallel to the surface to be seated of the seat 80, such that theelectromagnetic wave emission direction from the first sensor 100 andthe second sensor 200 each intersect the electromagnetic wave receivingdirection by the receiver 3.

In the example shown in FIG. 17C, the first sensor 100 and the secondsensor 200 are each arranged so as to be parallel to the surface to beseated of the seat 80, and the receiver 3 is also arranged so as to beparallel to the surface to be seated of the seat 80.

In the example shown in FIG. 17D, the first sensor 100 and the secondsensor 200 are each arranged so as to be non-parallel to the surface tobe seated of the seat 80, and the receiver 3 is arranged so as to beparallel to the surface to be seated of the seat 80.

The arrangement structures in FIGS. 17A to 17D can also be applied tothe case where the receiver 3 is provided on the lateral side of thefirst sensor 100 and the second sensor 200.

The arrangement structures of the first sensor 100, the second sensor200, and the receiver 3 in the present modification can also be appliedto the seat cushion.

According to the present modification, because the receivers 3 whichreceive the electromagnetic waves emitted from the first sensor 100 andthe second sensor 200 are provided side by side with respect to thefirst sensor 100 and the second sensor 200, there is little detectionerror between the first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200. Therefore,it is easy to accurately detect biological information.

Furthermore, the receiving accuracy of the electromagnetic waves by thereceiver 3 can be adjusted by appropriately changing the angles of thefirst sensor 100, the second sensor 200, and the receiving unit 3 withrespect to the surface to be seated of the seat 80. Therefore, it iseasy to more accurately detect biological information.

[Modification 7]

In the above-described embodiment, the biological sensors 100, 200 arearranged at at least two respective portions of the seat 10 which areseparate from each other, that is, at least two portions in the seatcushion 11 and in the seat back 14.

That is, the seat cushion 11 may be provided with one or more couples ofthe first sensor 100 and the second sensor 200, and the seat back 14 maybe provided with one or more couples of the first sensor 100 and thesecond sensor 200. Alternatively, two or more couples of the firstsensor 100 and the second sensor 200 may be provided only in the seatcushion 11. Alternatively, two or more couples of the first sensor 100and the second sensor 200 may be provided only in the seat back 14.

As shown in FIGS. 18 and 19, in the present modification, the seat 90includes a seat cushion 91, a seat back 94, and movable portions 95 to99. The seat cushion 91 supports human buttocks and thighs. The seatback 94 has a lower edge supported by the seat cushion 11. The movableportions 95 to 99 are connected to either of the seat cushion 91 or theseat back 94 and move with respect to either the seat cushion 91 or theseat back 94.

The biological sensor 100, 200 is provided at at least one of the seatcushion 91, the seat back 94, and the movable parts 95 to 99.

The seat cushion 91 supports the thighs P12 of the human seated on theseat 90, and the seat back 94 supports the trunk P11. The trunk P11includes shoulders, a chest, an abdomen, a lumbar region, and buttocks.The buttocks may be supported by the seat cushion 91. The seat cushion91 and the seat back 94 compose the seat body of the seat 90, and themovable portions 95 to 99 are connected to the seat body.

The movable portions 95 to 99 include an armrest 95 which supports anarm P13 of the human seated on the seat 90, a headrest 12 which supportsthe head P14, a neckrest 13 which supports the neck P15 of the occupantP, an ottoman 14 which supports the leg P16, and a footrest 15 whichsupports the foot P17.

In the present modification, the biological sensor 100, 200 is providedin each of the seat cushion 91, the seat back 94, and the movableportions 95 to 99. In the present modification, the first sensors 100are arranged next to the respective the second sensors 200 in theleft-right direction of the seat 90.

In the example shown in FIG. 18, the biological information can bedetected by the biological sensors 100, 200 while the seat 90 is notreclined. In this case, the biological information is detected by thefirst sensor 100 and the second sensor 200 provided in each of the seatcushion 91 and the seat back 94.

In the example shown in FIG. 19, the biological information can bedetected by the biological sensors 100, 200 while the seat 90 isreclined. In this case, the biological information is detected by thebiological sensors 100, 200 provided in the entire seat 90.Alternatively, the biological information may be detected by thebiological sensors 100, 200 provided at each of two or more portionsselected as appropriate.

In the present modification, since the biological sensor 100, 200 isprovided at at least one of the seat cushion 91, the seat back 94, andthe movable parts 95 to 99, the biological information can be detectedfrom various parts of the human body. As a result, it is possible toimprove accuracy in measurement of the human health condition bydetection of biological information.

Furthermore, because the movable portions 95 to 99 are configured to bemovable with respect to the seat cushion 91 and the seat back 94, thebiological information can be detected when the seat 90 is eitherreclined or not. As a result, the seat 90 can be suitably mounted andapplied to a vehicle capable of traveling through either one ofautonomous driving and manual driving which can be switched to eachother, for example.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The arrangement structure of the biological sensor according to thepresent invention has high industrial applicability because the memberinterfering with the passage of electromagnetic waves is less likely tointerfere with electromagnetic waves emitted from biological sensor sothat biological information can be detected easily and accurately.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

-   A1 Member Interfering with Passage of Electromagnetic Waves-   A2 Member Interfering with Passage of Electromagnetic Waves-   A3 Member Interfering with Passage of Electromagnetic Waves-   R Emission Range-   C Emission Center-   1 Biological Sensor-   2 Biological Sensor-   10 Seat-   11 Seat Cushion-   12 Cushion Pad-   12 a Groove-   13 Covering-   14 Seat Back-   15 Cushion Pad-   15 a Groove-   16 Covering-   17 Headrest-   20 Seat Heater-   21 Base Material-   22 Heater Wire-   22 a Front Heater Wire-   22 b Central Heater Wire-   22 c Rear Heater Wire-   23 Groove Heater Wire-   30 Seat Heater-   31 Base Material-   32 Heater Wire-   32 a Upper Heater Wire-   32 b Central Heater Wire-   32 c Lower Heater Wire-   33 Groove Heater Wire-   100 First Sensor-   200 Second Sensor

The invention claimed is:
 1. An arrangement structure for a biologicalsensor comprising: a biological sensor of a non-contact type provided ina seat on which a human is seated, the biological sensor beingconfigured to emit electromagnetic waves and to detect biologicalinformation of the human with the electromagnetic waves; and a receiverconfigured to receive reflected waves of the electromagnetic waves,wherein the biological sensor is arranged non-parallel to a surface ofthe seat, on which the human is seated, at a position in the seatavoiding a member that constitutes the seat and interferes with passageof the electromagnetic waves, and the receiver is arranged non-parallelto the surface.
 2. The arrangement structure for a biological sensoraccording to claim 1, wherein the seat is provided in a vehicle thattravels through autonomous driving or manual driving that are able to beswitched to each other.
 3. The arrangement structure for a biologicalsensor according to claim 1, wherein the biological sensor is arrangedsuch that an emission center of the electromagnetic waves does not passthrough the member.
 4. The arrangement structure for a biological sensoraccording to claim 1, wherein the biological sensor is arranged suchthat an emission range of the electromagnetic waves does not include themember.
 5. The arrangement structure for a biological sensor accordingto claim 1, wherein the biological sensor is arranged in the seat to becloser than the member to the human.
 6. The arrangement structure for abiological sensor according to claim 5, further comprising: a resininstallation plate that is attached to the member and that is arrangedat a position closer than the member to the human, wherein thebiological sensor is arranged on the installation plate.
 7. Thearrangement structure for a biological sensor according to claim 1,wherein the member has an opening, and the position of the biologicalsensor is farther than the member from the human, and the position ofthe biological sensor corresponds to a position of the opening.
 8. Thearrangement structure for a biological sensor according to claim 1,wherein the member is arranged so as not to be uniform in density insidethe seat, and the biological sensor is arranged at a portion wheredensity of the member is low.
 9. The arrangement structure for abiological sensor according to claim 1, wherein the seat includes acushion pad that is covered by a covering, and when a detachable portionof the cushion pad is detached, a space that accommodates the biologicalsensor is formed inside the cushion pad.
 10. The arrangement structurefor a biological sensor according to claim 1, wherein the seat includesa cushion pad that is covered by a covering, and the biological sensoris embedded in the cushion pad.
 11. The arrangement structure for abiological sensor according to claim 1, wherein the biological sensorincludes two or more biological sensors that are arranged at at leasttwo respective portions of the seat that are separate from each other.12. The arrangement structure for a biological sensor according to claim1, wherein the biological sensor includes a first sensor and a secondsensor that emit electromagnetic waves of different frequencies towardthe human, and the first sensor and the second sensor are arrangedadjacent to each other.
 13. The arrangement structure for a biologicalsensor according to claim 12, wherein the biological sensor includes twoor more biological sensors, including the first sensor and the secondsensor, that are arranged at at least two respective portions of theseat that are separate from each other.
 14. The arrangement structurefor a biological sensor according to claim 12, wherein the seat includesa seat cushion and a seat back, the seat cushion supporting a humanbuttock and a human thigh, and the seat back having a lower edge that issupported by the seat cushion, the biological sensor is provided in atleast one of the seat cushion and the seat back, and the first sensorand the second sensor are arranged adjacent to each other in a surfacedirection of the surface.
 15. The arrangement structure for a biologicalsensor according to claim 12, wherein the seat includes a seat cushionand a seat back, the seat cushion supporting a human buttock and a humanthigh, and the seat back having a lower edge supported by the seatcushion, the biological sensor is provided in at least one of the seatcushion and the seat back, and the first sensor and the second sensorare arranged adjacent to each other in a thickness direction of eitherthe seat cushion or the seat back.
 16. The arrangement structure for abiological sensor according to claim 1, wherein the biological sensor isarranged at a different angle than the receiver with respect to thesurface.